Never knew they were called curistes!
I wonder how they feel when they get home.
There are some wonderful small spa towns in the Pyrenees, whether you need a cure or not. Iām near the eastern Pyrenees, and my next sojourne at altitude will be to Ax-les-Thermes, which I passed through last year but unfortunately didnāt get to stop in.
Jonathan, thanks for your post. In 2011 when we began looking for somewhere to live in France the eastern Pyrenees was my region of choice. However my wife, whoās S African couldnāt bear the though of harsh winters after three years of living on the Cumbrian coast. So instead we ended up in the Aveyron which she knew previously.
However, what I found interesting was that some outsiders may think of French spa towns as relics of a bygone era, whereas your post was an interesting contrast to that (mis)perception.
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Mark, I havenāt gotten around to saying how sorry I am to read about your recent accident. From the photo, it looked like a shocker.
Getting back to French spa townsā¦ Mrs Dr Mark, may benefit from a sojourn in a spa to help her recover. Look into it, depending on the injury, which is sometimes fully covered by the securitĆ© socialeā¦
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Thanks for that -nice link - and hadnāt thought of it!
OTOH, sheād probably only want to go if Gigi came along
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I understand that the concept sounds rather old fashioned but the French are great believers in the benefits of a three week cure and here the thermes operate from March to November. We then have a ski season (La Mongie is about 40 mins away) and during the summer the area is popular for cyclists and walkers. One of the incidental benefits is that it means we have a good range of doctors and especially physios. I am amazed by the financial support the town provides for various music festivals and we have 4 twinning associations (German/Spanish/Italian and British) all of which get 600ā¬ each year plus extra support when there is a visit from the twin town. For the UK that means Malvern and a group are coming in October with the town paying for a number of trips and meals. Unheard of in the UK
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Yes the whole ājumellageā thing does seem to be taken more seriously on the continent than in the UK.
I remember being very embarrassed when (many moons ago) my school did a āJugendaustauschā with a school in Verden an der Aller in Niedersachsen.
We were taken on all sorts of trips around the area (including a visit to see the Zonengrenze with East Germany (yes I am old!) - but also were given an official civic reception with the Burgomeister at the Town Hall.
When the Germans came to England - none of that. I think there were a few coach trips to places like Windsor but as it was now term time we had to attend ordinary lessons while the visitors went off on their own! And certainly no acknowledgement of the event by the local town.
On the other hand, I get regular well produced update magazines from my old Borough near Nottingham. I am very impressed with the wide ranging events that they sponsor including, in the winter time, oudoor free concerts by local musical ensembles in the main street which is alive with shops of all kinds and now pedestrianised.
Here our neigbouring larger village used to have an annual night market with every street closed to traffic. Loads of stalls selling everything, loads of restaurants laid on and operated by such people as plumbers and electricians as well as outside the existing bars (only one left now). Cancelled by the lady Maire ābecause it is too dangerousā 
This is the same lady who during Covid terrorised the fruit and veg market holders into fencing their stalls off to over a metre away while in her familyās butcher shop (the only one left now) she and all her staff happily handled both cooked and raw meat without a single glove in sight.
Can you impeach a Maire? 
No idea, but I canāt, wrong commune. If it was here it might be different our Maire is a good friend, and he can cut a mean rug too, or at least gravel car park, jiving with his wife to a rock/blues band at the bar recently. 
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The Maire the merrier? 
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The last time we were in St Antonin we had a nice simple lunch at a little table outside a very small one-man cafĆ©. Then OH bought a hat from a tiny boutique nearby. But none of the restaurants seemed to be open. I havenāt come across the Hundred Foot Journey. Will investigate !